The mayfly stops, exhausted. The insects pay their respects. He rejects their advances

45

Sortie des forumis -

0:31

The ants leave

46

Les vers sortent du fruit -

0:24

The works come out of the fruit

47

Danse de l'éphémère et des vers de fruit-

1:22

Dance of the mayfly and the fruit worms

48

Mort de l'éphémère -

0:43

Death of the mayfly

49

L'araignée s'apprête à commcencer son festin, lorsqu'une des mantes,

0:33

délivrée… se glisse derrière elle et la tue -

The spider prepares to begin her feast, but one of the mantises, freed from the web, slips behind the spider and kills her

50

Agonie de l'araignée -

0:57

Death throes of the spider

51

Funérailles de l'éphémère -

1:24

Funeral of the mayfly

52

Le cortège funèbre s'éloigne et disparaît.

1:37

La nuit tombe sur le jardin solitaire.

The funeral cortege sets off and disappears into the distance. Night falls on the deserted garden.

Yan Pascal Tortelier

20,21 March 1996

Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane BBC Philharmonic, Tortelier

'Tortelier offers the best Bacchus et Ariane yet and what a marvellously inventive and resourceful score it is. The BBC Philharmonic play with tremendous zest and give a sensitive and atmospheric account of Le Festin de l'araignée. They offer us the complete banquet, not just the chosen dishes on the menu! Splendid recording and performances of rewarding and colourful music that deserve to be more widely heard.'Penguin Guide to Compact Discs (Rosette Award)

"The exhilarating (1931) score for Bacchus et Ariane teems with life and is full of rhythmic vitality. What a marvellously inventive and resourceful score it is! Tortelier offers the best version yet and the BBC Philharmonic play with tremendous zest... This magical score weaves a strong spell. Splendi recording and performances of rewarding and colourful music that deserves to be more widely heard..."